42 Ukrainian refugees picked up at Polish border, ‘cheers at Amsterdam’

“Some only have half a bag with them,” says Maarten van As, director of air freight company Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN). He arranges the action from the Netherlands. “I was very shocked by that. It does indicate how the situation is there at the moment.”

The refugees who came by bus, mainly women and children, come from Lviv and Kharkov. They traveled by train to Przemyśl, near the border area with Poland, where they were received by a team from ACN.

Travel to Polish border

“A lot of refugees are arriving there now,” says Van As. Last week, he started a fundraiser among ACN members. “That went very fast right away, large amounts are still transferred every day. But because the border area with Poland is now full of refugees, we wanted to do even more.”

And so last week two colleagues left for the Polish border. According to Maarten, it was even quieter there then. “And the Ukrainians who were there wanted to stay there. Close to their families. But you only last a few days. That’s why we got the bus filled now. Other ACN colleagues went there yesterday to make the trip back.” accompany.”

Jacques Leijssenaar and Elisabetta Dell’Orto traveled to the border with Ukraine yesterday to receive the refugees there by bus. “They are very grateful that we have done this,” said Leijssenaar. “When we finally got to Amsterdam, they started cheering.”

Follow-up

Some Ukrainians have already indicated that they would not want to go back if their country falls into Russian hands, says Leijssenaar. “Then came the realization that we have to offer these people shelter for longer than for a while. Some want to build a life here.”

The ACN team is in talks with the government about the follow-up to the reception of the refugees. “It has been promised that safe reception will be provided after the first days. Where that is, we have to wait and see what the security region decides,” said Van As.